High-capacity, low-latency links let firefighters see through smoke
As U.S. carriers invest in public safety cellular networks and stand up attendant services geared toward public safety, a major change in the way first responders work is coming. Enhancements to network capacity and latency, combined with other cutting-edge technologies, will serve to improve outcomes for the men and women dedicated to saving lives as well as for the people dependent on their work.
Consider a firefighter: An alarm call comes in, a crew grabs their gear and deploys to a structure fire in progress. Limited information and an incredibly challenging physical environment make extracting people from the fire an inherently complex and dangerous task. But technology can change this paradigm.
During the recent Mobile World Congress Barcelona, Cradlepoint, Verizon, Inseego and Qwake Tech demonstrated a solution that Cradlepoint SVP of 5G Strategy & Global Carrier Operations Lindsay Notwell called “transformational. The reality is, this is a great example of a future application that we will look back and say, ‘How could we ever have fought fires before?’”
Using 5G as the connectivity medium, Qwake’s C-THRU taps computer vision and augmented reality to essentially let a firefighter see in a smoke-filled building, enabling a 267% increase in navigational abilities by supercharging situational awareness in a highly hazardous environment. “It’s a very emotional technology when you see it,” Notwell added.
Cradlepoint, Microsoft collaboration means hours, not weeks for IoT
In addition to 5G, another mega-trend showcased at Mobile World Congress Barcelona was the Internet of Things (IoT), which is poised to drive digital transformation in virtually all enterprise and industrial verticals.
Based on field research, 60% of enterprises are either in the process of or are planning to internally develop their own IoT applications, Cradlepoint Chief Marketing Officer Todd Krautkremer told RCR Wireless News. To serve this market, Cradlepoint has partnered with Microsoft–Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Edge Connector feeds remote sensor data into Microsoft’s Azure IoT Central platform.
While enterprises are eager to reap the benefits investment in IoT applications can bring, there’s often a disconnect between information technology and operational technology groups. Cradlepoint’s relationship with Microsoft addresses this problem by providing a turnkey solution that gives the OT side of the house a blank slate to easily develop and deploy an IoT solution while giving the IT team necessary security and connectivity tools.
“Now enterprise organizations can stand up IoT applications literally in hours versus going out and hiring a big consulting firm and taking months and months to develop a program,” Krautkremer said. “It simplifies the network part of that equation. You can build connectivity from your remote sensors at the edge through our lightweight edge compute.”
Cradlepoint has a significant installed base across the public sector and high-value verticals, including retail, food and beverage, healthcare, financial services and transportation. To learn more about the NetCloud platform, click here.
